The CFMEU in Queensland is affiliated to the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU).  Most Queensland unions are affiliated to the QCU, which is the peak trade union organisation in the state.

The QCU also has Provincial Councils throughout regional Queensland.  They are located in the following areas: Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Ipswich, Mackay, Mount Isa, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Townsville.

At a national level, the CFMEU is affiliated to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

Politically, the CFMEU is also affiliated to the Australian Labor Party (ALP).  The ALP was formed as the political wing of the labour movement after the major strikes of the 1890s.  The union can be critical of some of the policies and directions of the ALP, but the union continues to fight within the ALP to make it a progressive party that represents the interests of workers. Members and officials of the CFMEU participate in many different aspects of the ALP, and each year the CFMEU sends a delegation to the state conference to ensure that the platform of the ALP is in the interests of workers.

CFMEU State Secretary Michael Ravbar is an elected member of the Administrative Committee of the ALP.

Many CFMEU activists are active in the left of the ALP.

If you want to join the ALP, please contact the union for more information and assistance.

The CFMEU Construction and General Division is also affiliated to the International Construction, Wood and Building Material Unions (UITBB).  The UITBB renders assistance and co-ordinates the work of militant building unions around the world.